Consultant discusses cultural gaps in business at luncheon

The gap between those who understand the culture of Mexico and those who don’t is growing, a cultural expert said Friday.

Dan Benavidez has worked for more than 12 years with businesses in Mexico and provides cultural consulting. He said about 66 percent of the Hispanic population in the United States is made up of first-generation immigrants from Mexico. He said the key to strong cultural relationships in Greeley is understanding what makes Mexico’s customs and traditions different than those of the United States.

“We can’t do it the old way anymore,” he said. “The demographics are different. The people are different.”

Benavidez spoke to an audience of about 20 people at Cazadores, 2140 35th Ave., at the monthly Latino Luncheon.

He told the story of when he was a consultant for Tucker International, a company that had problems keeping executives in Mexico.

“They would go down there for four or five weeks and they would come back,” he said. “Tucker understood what the problem was. It was cultural.”

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Benavidez said while he was working with the company, he realized that, because of the growing number of first-generation immigrants in the United States, the same problems that plagued Tucker International’s executives were factors in cultural relationships in U.S. communities.

Benavidez said the key to understanding Mexican culture is to understand it is a country defined by upheaval.

“Mexico has been a country in turmoil continually,” he said. “There is no guarantee about tomorrow. The only thing that counts is today.”

Benavidez said the Mexican culture places strong importance on the family and on building relationships.

Roland Martinez, who moved to Greeley and opened a chiropractic practice in November, said the information he learned will help him to better relate to some of his patients.

“It was very informative,” he said. “I found it very beneficial, especially in my field.”

Knowledge about the culture first-generation Mexican immigrants bring with them can help solve problems within the Greeley community, Benavidez said.

“If we understood that better, we could solve a lot of our problems,” he said.